Relationship+Between+Social+Identity,+Power,+and+Academic+Literacy

Power begins with language, and this power takes on many forms. It’s most notable one, the dialect, is the one people might think of the most. Accents alone can be seen as more intelligent or less intelligent than others, such as with the Southern accent in the united states, but it also comes in the form of the very words that are used and who uses them.

We have in the United States what is often referred to as the “N-word”, a remnant of racism and slavery in the country that has been adapted into a phrase most commonly now used by the very people the word once repressed. There is a distinct way the word is used as well: rather than using the historical “nigger”, African Americans across the country pronounce it “nig-AH”, with the “r” sound being dropped entirely. What this creates is a subculture in African American society where young men especially enter into a sense of community and belonging based on who identifies as a “nigga” and how much they are willing to live up to what it means to be a “nigga”. As such, this negative word, still used in the derogatory sense depending on where you go, becomes a positive tool to create a sense of identity and through that identity, strength.

In schools, this same N-word is nearly always the biggest issue when it comes to teaching books like Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird. In these novels, the N-word is used purely in its derogatory sense, and there are some schools that will actively avoid using the word. Book companies have even capitalized on this split of whether or not to teach Huckleberry Finn with the N-word or not, and printed out copies of the book where the N-word is replaced with the word “slave”. Schools that are willing to do so can face the use of the word head on and allow students a chance to discuss it in its historical use and compare it to how the word is used today. It is not always a comfortable discussion, but it does mean that students not only get to say that the word exists, but that it no longer just has its historical meaning. The identity of the students who may use the N-word in its modern and altered form can be validated and given a sense of importance rather than just brushing it aside.

Power begins with language. A person’s entire identity can easily be defined in an academic or social setting by how they speak and to whom they speak. The way one talks to their parent, their close friends, and a prospective employer are often three very distinct ways of speaking and each way of speaking addresses the differences in power between the two people talking. Being able to practice this kind of spoken and written language at home, among peers, and in the classroom means that students will be better skilled at switching between these distinct speaking styles and the kinds of conversations they can have with each.

One can even take this a step back and focus purely on the language being spoken as well. Though the United States is a nation where most of its people speak English to some degree, there are millions of citizens who speak languages other than English either as their primary or secondary language. Those especially who speak English as a second, third, or so on language will find themselves having to learn the language, the vernacular, the differences in how each kind of English is used and where they are used, and all other aspects of the language. For a native speaker, many of these aspects of literacy will come easily to them. They do not have to actively think about how to use the grammar and construct their sentences and get their point across because they are most familiar with the structure and use of the English language.

It is impossible to look at social identity, power, and academic literacy and not find them crossing over one another as they are used and expanded upon. One cannot change without the other two being changed with it, whether in large or small part.

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